COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka's Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to clip the extensive powers of the president, making him answerable to Parliament, a key pledge President Maithripala Sirisena made in the run up to his January election win.

The bill needed two-thirds of the votes in the 225-member Parliament and 212 lawmakers voted in its favor with only one voting against. One lawmaker abstained and 10 others were absent.